


as champions we rise & fall

by kwjs



Series: We Are Made of Stardust & Dreams [1]
Category: Star Stable
Genre: Gen, despite the time that has passed since i wrote this i still haven't edited it, eh, i aim to top it soon, i cried writing this ngl, its so far the longest sso fic i've written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 08:08:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17679641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kwjs/pseuds/kwjs
Summary: When Feya heard the news, it was like her world came to a stop, and everything tilted out of focus. Her senses shut down, words became impossible, and every emotion cracked out of their shells. She was torn, and the next thing she knew she was a sobbing mess on the floor with her phone lying a few feet away, the dial tone piercing through the otherwise heavy silence.





	as champions we rise & fall

When Feya heard the news, it was like her world came to a stop, and everything tilted out of focus. Her senses shut down, words became impossible, and every emotion cracked out of their shells. She was torn, and the next thing she knew she was a sobbing mess on the floor with her phone lying a few feet away, the dial tone piercing through the otherwise heavy silence.

Out of all the horses the woman had had the pleasure of working with, besides Fion, the horse she had brought with her from Moorland Stables, and Cosmos, her wild yet determined young stallion, Lacuna had been by the far the one horse she’d fallen in love with in her time, and knew that no horse would ever compare. It wasn’t just because he was an Olympic Show Jumper, or that he was world-renowned and famous in his own right, but that she could easily look into his gaze and see the stars above. He was a candle in the night, with those fire flickering eyes, and everything was at his feet. But today, she learned, he had crashed and burned; literally.

Feya had been training with her newest conquest, Black, a not at all black Morgan gelding who was a childhood companion to White, her Shire. He was overly trusting at times, which unsettled with woman, but she never complained and put all her time and energy into making sure that she earned his trust many times over. He was young, but older than Cosmos, and had a gentle, childlike sass none of her other horses possessed. When Black and White interacted it was adorable, and she was so glad to have reunited them together at last.

Despite that, the week had been tough. He disliked training, and would probably be nothing more than a pleasure riding horse. The woman had lost count of how many times they would be running a course and he would abruptly stop and refuse to move right away, if at all. The only thing the gelding had going for him was his cute looks. He was cute but being cute wouldn’t finish a race.

Odette had been the one to call her. Lacuna’s owners were some friends of hers, after all.

“Feya.” It’d been weeks since they’d last talked. The new year had come and gone, and neither had been feeling up to having meaningful conversation, which is what their friendship relied on a lot of the time. “I have some news.”

Patting Black’s nose as she leaned against the horse’s stall, the woman tilted her head back and glanced at the ceiling. “Oh? Rare for you to call me and say that you have news.”

“I was asked to. By Lacuna’s owners. Since you probably don’t watch the news.” Odette sounded tired, withdrawn, like she had a feeling of what was coming but wasn’t quite sure. “I’m just going to come out and say it. Lacuna collapsed yesterday.”

Feya froze, every muscle in her body tightening before becoming lax again by sheer force of will. “What?”

“He was practicing and miss timed a jump and crashed. It’s his left leg, the front one. Vet suggested they put him down but he’s currently in a sling and just being sedated until they decide what to do with him.”

There were no words that could describe this feeling, only this feeling multiplying into many feelings. She remembered as clear as day the first time she met that horse, when she was faced with the candle flickering eyes and getting a taste of a world with all sorts of possibilities. She had ridden on his back for six months, working with him through the fall and getting him ready for competitions in the spring. He learned stamina skills and traveling slowly. He was everything.

And now, apparently, he was nothing, just lying in some stall unable to move. Feya quickly locked Black’s stable door and hurried to her newly built lounge, ignoring the worried nickers from her horses. She leaned her back up against the door and took a shaky inhale, but still, no words came.

Odette seemed to understand her silence. “They asked about you, asking how you were and if you were busy. I said I hadn’t talked to you in a few weeks. They want to know if you’ll go and see him. They wanted to ask you something in person.”

Feya couldn’t imagine what they’d want to discuss, much less in person, when the finest and most accomplished stallion in the world was lying in a heap at their feat, but she didn’t say any of that. Instead she replied, “I’ll send them an email. Thanks for telling me.”

“Mm,” was her only reply before the line went dead.

It was in the moments (or the hours, she never really knew) after that all seemed to blur together. She was faintly aware of her body collapsing on the ground, of her legs crumbling underneath her like Lacuna’s did she thought bitterly and her head slumping into her hand as she allowed the tears to stream down her face. Her lungs heaved for air as her clenching stomach stole each painful gasp. It was a long time before she was calm again, if she was calm at all.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The first order of business was finding someone who could come and care for her horses while she was gone. Asking around turned out to be more trouble than it was worth. Vera was her first call: she had a show with Prism in a week and was helping the Baroness with some sort of track, so that was out of the question. Eli had traveled to Mistfall and didn’t plan to leave for a month; he deserved it, but still left Feya sighing into the room after that call.

In the end it was Elsa who offered. Odette had snorted, offering to send a worker to come and check and care for them, but the younger woman had refused. She wanted someone that knew her horses well enough and could handle any incidents that arose to do it. And Elsa was a perfect choice. She wouldn’t let Cosmos have his way or allow White and Black hide in the stables instead of going outside for some fresh air and relax, or let Welkin bite the other horses if they got too close to him. It was settled.

The email had been the hardest to write, out of everything. Packing for the trip, planning the trip, and talking to people about said trip had been easy; most had seen the news and figured she was going to say goodbye. But telling Lacuna’s owners that she was able to come and receiving enough details to get her on a plane and to their farm, but nothing else, was oh so hard. She wanted to know how he was doing, and how much longer they expected him to live.

On the plane, flying to Ireland, Feya stared out the window and sighed. Her memories with that great horse she would always treasure, but it broke her heart to think that he would soon cease to exist simply because he had taken a wrong step. He was the hardest working horse the woman had ever known. From being determined and unforgiving in practices to a perfectionist and downright lethal in competitions, he never failed to awe everyone around him. He was a king.

Was a king, Feya’s mind supplied. A king he was no more, lying in a stall with his left leg bandaged, unable to move without help. She wondered if he’d been sedated or was aware of what was happening. She hoped the former.

Before she could close her eyes and rest for the remainder of the flight, Feya’s phone buzzed. She’d bought an old flip phone at the insistence of James, whose number she had promptly blocked once she received it. He called the barn phone if he needed something, or sent a letter, or someone came in person. But it was just Elsa, sending a text with a few pictures. They were captioned “These crazy beasts miss you!!” and the photos were filled with her horses, from Fion and Cosmos grazing side by side, to White and Black asleep in a stall, and lastly a picture of the pasture with Tempest, Pierrot and Welkin all cantering around, playing. She saved the three photos, sent back a message, and tried to get some sleep before the plane landed, and she had to face a harsh reality.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The flight landed around 1am, leaving Feya jetlagged and utterly exhausted. While she’d been packing Cosmos had gotten loose and tried to release the other horses from the stalls. It’d taken 3 hours to calm them down, catch him, and lecture him to never do it again. Not that he’d listen, even if he could understand. In other words, she’d hadn’t slept in over 24 hours. After receiving the call from Odette she hadn’t slept much, worrying over Lacuna and what would happen to him.

There was a man in a truck whose side read the name of the stables. Feya got odd looks when she set her bag in the back and hopped into the front seat. He introduced himself as Steven but said nothing else the whole ride. She didn’t mind; the scenery was gorgeous, and she figured he wouldn’t want to, or couldn’t answer questions about Lacuna.

The stables were huge. Feya had always known that, had always known how prestigious and well know the stables was, but seeing some pictures and being there in person were two different matters entirely. It was made out of stone, and seeing the horses sticking their heads out of stalls and the hay and water troughs sprinkled here and there reminded her of a stable yard from the movie Black Beauty. It was beautiful, and nothing at all like her run down, shackle of a stables.

Gallivant Stables was indeed a dream, and so had been Lacuna. Now, everything was real, and frighteningly so.

Steven lead the way through the winding stable yard. Horses pricked their eyes upon sight of the woman, a few huffing and neighing into the air before turning back into their stalls. All seemed to be on edge. When the two humans rounded the next aisle, up ahead stood several other humans. One was dressed in slacks and a white coat, presumably the vet. The other two men were dressed in jeans and work boots. And lastly stood Sandra and Shayron, the two owners of the stables, and Feya’s clients.

Upon seeing Feya, Shayron smiled broadly. “Feya! Oh, its so good of you to make it. Sorry for the inconvenient time but matters like these can’t wait.”

“Its alright,” the woman replied, nodding a thanks to Steven as he left. She turned back to the other five and smiled slightly, though it was strained and tired. “I’m not sure what I could possibly be needed here for, but I’m happy to help any way I can.”

They were all standing in front of a stall. Feya knew whose it was almost immediately, even if the name plate hadn’t read “Space’s King” and under it in small print “Our Treasured Lacuna”. The stall was adorned with ribbons and photos, all framed, and the door frame was painted gold. The cobble floor extended into the stall and had a mat laying upon said stone. The stall itself was stone as well, with wooden frames and metal containers holding water and food. Inside lay Lacuna, eyes closed, breathing in and out deeply. His left lag was wrapped in a cast, and his coat was dirty.

The woman swallowed and looked back at the others. Shayron was engaged in a hushed conversation with the two men, presumably managers or head grooms and caretakers for the stables. Sandra and the vet were watching Feya as she turned away from the horse and his stall.

“Its nice to meet you Feya, though I wish it was under better circumstances. My name’s Jackson, and I’m Gallivant Stables’ on call veterinarian.” They shook hands.

“Its nice to meet you too. I wish it was under other circumstances as well.” Feya turned to Sandra. “Hello, Sandra.”

Sharon smiled ever so slightly. “We were waiting for you before we decided on next steps.”

“Me?” Feya’s incredulous tone brought the other three back into the conversation.

“Why, yes! Sandra and I remembered how you helped get Lacuna together after his last injury, and Jackson here thinks that even if Lacuna can never compete again, he can at least walk, and possibly breed.”

Feya let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. So, they didn’t want to kill him, even if he could never compete again. She’d hoped but wasn’t entirely sure. In their position, she wasn’t sure what she would have thought about as options, either.

“That still doesn’t answer why you needed me here, in person,” Feya said. The woman’s voice was shaky as she glanced back at the horse, still fast asleep. His ears twitched at the conversation for a moment, but that was all.

The two men raised their eyebrows. From anyone else, that would have been considered rude. From Feya, it was simply a question. She didn’t like feeling as though she didn’t belong, or that she belonged when she had no right to do so. Here, it was the latter; this horse, regardless of how he’d changed her life and made her a better person, was not hers, in any sense of the word. He was her soulmate, but nothing legally binded them together, except a previous contract that allowed her to ride, train and care for him for 6 months.

But those 6 months had ended over 2 months ago. It was nearly March, and he had been getting ready for spring competitions while she readied Zephyr for a steeplechase race in April, and Cosmos for summer jumping shows. She was busy, and he was not in her life anymore.

This, being here, being reminded that Lacuna was not hers, and never would be, was pure torture.

Neither Shayron nor Sandra seemed perturbed in the least bit. They knew the woman, had even seen her rant on a skype call once about some silly incident on the island, a red faced and yelling rant that told the two women how much Feya hated idiots, and how she loathed idiocy towards horses and the inability to keep everyone safe and sound. They had shared an amused smile as she apologized profusely, but in the end refused to forgive her, as there was nothing to forgive.

The two women knew what Feya wasn’t saying in that question. She wasn’t saying that she was worried to death, that she hadn’t slept in almost two days, and that she really would help any way she possibly could. She wasn’t saying that she loved Lacuna and would die for him. She wasn’t saying he had saved her life, in more ways then one, and that she owed him everything she could possibly ever think, do or say.

Most importantly, she was not saying that she knew she was powerless here, that she had no legal standing in this situation, and anything she could do or say about this situation may or may not result in anything actually following her advice. It might just be a fluke, or something that was considered and then pushed aside.

Sandra and Shayron shared a look before answering her. They had expected this kind of response and had especially expected for there to be more issues with convincing Feya their plan.

Sandra was the one who broke the silence, surprisingly. “We don’t think Lacuna will ever compete again, and if he did, it’s a small chance.”

“Probably about a one in nine chances,” Jackson chimed in helpfully.

“We want to know what you think. What would Lacuna want, Feya.” This was Shayron, watching the younger woman as she stared at her horse. For a moment there seemed to be no response. Then-

“I think he would hate every moment of being alive and unable to jump.” There was a gasp, though from who, she didn’t know. She hadn’t raised her eyes from watching Lacuna sleep. He appeared to be at peace, and completely oblivious to reality and his immediate surroundings. “I think he would hate it so much he’d rather have died jumping that jump, then live and never be able to do so again.”

Sandra nodded. “I see. In that case- “

“However,” Feya continued, cutting off the owner and startling all five humans once more, “I also know that while jumping is his main love, it is not his only love. When he was with me on Jorvik, he grew to enjoy long trail rides, where we walked from one end of the island to the other. He loved walking along the shore on the beach, trotting around in circles and making patterns and splashing in the waves. He loved relaxing at the stables, being out in the pasture with the other horses and rolling in the grass. He loved helping the residents of Jorvik, and entertaining the kids while I worked, giving them rides or letting them scratch him and give him treats. He loved to show off, but also keep everyone happy.”

The woman drew in a breath for a moment, remembering, and feeling close to tears, she hurriedly finished with, “He would hate being alive and not be able to jump, but he would also grow to love simply being alive and enjoying the little things, and letting that become his reason to live.”

Everyone stood in silence. Jackson, and the two men, were gaping at her. Shayron was crying, tears sliding down her cheeks. Sandra wasn’t saying or doing much of anything, but her eyes were glistening, and a soft smile was forming on her lips.

“I see,” she said once more, turning her head to look at the stallion in question, who was beginning to fidget ever so slightly in his sleep. “I think that’s exactly the answer that we needed.”

“He was a dream to work with,” Feya whispered. “He taught me to love myself, and to be a better person. He changed my life. I only want to do the same for him. Its only right.”

After that, time seemed to be set at normal speed again. Shayron got one of the men to lead Feya to a small cottage on the edge of the property. He said nothing, other then his name, like Steven from earlier. His name was Carter, and he and the other men from the stables, Cameron, were brothers.

Left alone for the first time in almost 24 hours, Feya slumped to the ground inside and wept. She wept for herself, for the memories she cherished and for the moments she wished she had spent with him, even though the ones she held onto she would treasure forever She cried for his owners, for how they were staying strong, juggling with all the possibilities that they could choose. She cried for all of Lacuna’s fans, who had been horrified by the news of his new injury. And, most of all, she cried for the horse lying in his stall, once a great king, now a withering body, broken and dying. He had so much more to give to the world, and to himself. He’d only just recovered from his last injury. This one would surely keep him down, and even if he lived, he may never properly stand again.

For what seemed like hours she cried, letting out everything and more from months and months of holding her emotions in and never letting them run their course. And when she was done, she made a cup of hot milk and settled to watch the sunrise, vowing to be brave for the final decision that was out of her hands.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Feya woke with a start. She was still sitting on the porch, a blanket strewn haphazardly across her body where she was stretched out in a chair, and her empty mug on the side table. The sun was up but hidden behind some clouds. It was mildly chilly and smelled like it might rain later. It was fitting for the mood of the people and horses below the skies today.

The woman walked back into the cottage, turning on the kettle once more and changing into a new shirt and sweatshirt. After plugging her phone up (it was switched off) and grabbing a canister of fresh, steaming coffee, she headed out towards the stables.

The walk was peaceful and comfortable. Gallivant Stables was settled on a 100+ acre land, and the forest was old; smelled and felt old, had that vibe like these trees had seen decades of triumph and strife. They probably had. Sandra and Shayron had apparently bought the stables from a family whose ancestors raised war horses.

It was mid-morning, by the looks of the activity of the stables. Most horses had been turned out, and all the stables except for one row were cleaned and freshly made. Feya smiled at a few grooms pleasantly before turning down the aisle towards Lacuna’s stall. Standing outside of it was Jackson and the other man from yesterday, Cameron. Both looked up and greeted the woman hello as she came closer.

“Good morning Feya,” Jackson said pleasantly, putting his equipment away into his bag. The stall door was open, and it seemed the vet had just finished with an examination. After thanking the vet, Cameron left, but not before side eyeing the woman as he left. Feya ignored him.

“Morning,” she responded, watching as the vet stood up and brushed himself off. He was relatively short, for the average man, and had brown sprinkled silver hair. She had thought he was older but looking at him now he appeared around mid-thirties, and relatively friendly and charming. Not that it mattered to her, but she liked to observe people, and this is what she information she concluded.

He smiled quietly, if that was even possible. “Are you here to see Lacuna?”

She smiled back. “I am, if that’s alright?”

“Of course! I’ve finished checking him over. I gave him another sedative, and he seems to be sleeping better. His breathing is strong, and his leg is no worse than it was earlier.”

Feya sighed, staring into the stall before asking, “No news?”

Jackson didn’t need to ask what she was talking about. “None,” he replied gently, picking up his bag and leaving her standing in the aisle.

After a moment the woman entered the stall, gently shutting the down behind her before sitting on the ground next to the horse. He was at peace, as Jackson had said, snoring ever so slightly in his sleep. She chuckled quietly, reaching out with a hand to stroke his blaze a few times before sitting against the stall wall, sipping at her coffee and thinking.

Even after giving her thoughts on Lacuna to the owners, she still had no idea what direction they would take with him. They could easily decide to put him down in a few hours or choose to let him live for a few weeks and see how he handled recovery. Going through recovery for the second time from an injury for the same leg twice in less then a year would be hard on anyone. If anyone could handle it, it was this horse, though.

Feya stayed sitting in the stall, watching the horse sleep, until she had finished her coffee and decided to find his owners. Whatever was being decided on, she wanted to know and help.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Ahh there you are. Did you get any sleep?” After asking around the stables, one of the grooms had directed the woman to Sandra and Shayron’s shared house, just behind the stables but down a hill to the left. To the right were training arenas and fields for the horses to work and relax. The house looked out over the grounds, and Feya knew it must be a lovely view to wake up to each day.

Shayron had answered the door and ushered her inside, greeting her curiously and genuinely.

Feya shrugged. “Probably a few hours. I fell asleep after watching the sunrise.”

Sandra, who was in the kitchen, smiled over at them. “I made some hot water for coffee and tea, and breakfast. Would you like some?”

That’s how the three women ended up sitting at the dining room table, eating eggs, biscuits and freshly cooked bacon, staring out outside at the paddocks and the horses grazing and enjoying the chill weather. Shayron asked Feya a few questions about Jorvik, like how her work was going, and if she’d gotten any new horses. Work was fine, and no, no new horses, but she disclosed her plans for Zephyr and Cosmos, which both women were excited about and wanted to hear more.

After breakfast, they settled on the back porch that overlooked part of the stables and the forest and acres beyond. Sandra and Shayron had each gotten some kind of black tea, while Feya had made another helping of coffee. For awhile none of them said anything, simply enjoying the breeze and view.

It wasn’t until Feya was about halfway through her canister before she decided to speak.

“You didn’t really ask me to come here just for my opinion, did you?” It wasn’t really a question, though it was phrased as such. The woman had been thinking about why the owners would have wanted her to come all the way from Jorvik, if only to say goodbye to a horse she’d worked with for 6 months, no matter how much said horse meant to her. The flight had given her a lot of time to think, and she’d come up with three reasons.

The first of which was indeed to let her say goodbye. The women knew how much Lacuna meant to Feya, and how much she loved him, and he loved her. It was a nice gesture to let her say goodbye, even though she hadn’t been a major part of his career, she’d helped rehabilitate him and give the stables hope that their champion would compete once more.

The second reason was to ask her opinion on whether or not he should live or die, which they’d already done. But with that they would also take her advice to let him live, and rehabilitate once more, letting him live out his days peacefully and possibly breed him. That didn’t require an in-person visit, however.

The third reason was the most confusing, and least likely, but it was an option. That was option was to let Feya rehabilitate Lacuna once more, caring for him and helping him be able to walk again. It seemed the least plausible, because she had horses to care for and he would take a large effort, and a lot of money for that matter. Gallivant Stables was more equipped to handle that then she was, that she was sure of.

There was no other reason for her to have come at all, and it was simply baffling. But she knew for sure that an opinion, especially in person, was not necessary for their next decision with their horse.

Shayron smiled wrly while Sandra simply sipped at her tea, neither opting to answer Feya right away.

“No, you’re right. We didn’t ask you here for your opinion, even though we highly value it. We actually asked you here for two reasons, one of which we were going to skype call you about the day of Lacuna’s accident. With everything that’s happened recently, we decided to put it aside for the time being.”

“We asked you here because we’re debating what to do with Lacuna. Obviously, we want to keep him alive; that is the end goal.” Feya let out a sigh of relief she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in. Sandra’s next words chilled her, however. “What we’re mainly debating is selling him to someone else or offering to split ownership of him. The stables, while we are well off, cannot afford to continuously keep rehabilitating and spending time, resources and money on him constantly. He’s going to need someone who can set aside time to care for and bring him back to health, someone who has people they know who are able to come at a moment’s notice and can afford a bit of vet care, whether that be through their own funds or trading favors.”

For a moment, Feya let those words sink in. She was starting to get a funny feeling in her chest.

Shayron picked up where Sandra had left off. “We want to keep him here, but we also know in order for him to be well cared for, he’d be better off somewhere else.” Both women turned to look at Feya, who had to set down her canister. Her hands were shaking.

“I-I don’t understand,” Feya breathed out, mind scrambling. She had a guess, but it was nothing like what she thought of before arriving here, and it was nothing like she could ever have possibly dreamed.

Sandra smiled, but not unkindly. “We’re asking you, Feya, if you’d be interested in being a part owner of Lacuna and rehabilitate him at your stables.”

Feya promptly fainted.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The smell of olive was the first thing Feya registered as she slowly regained consciousness. Her eyelids flickered, and her head felt heavy. Someone said something, and another person replied. She froze, and opened her eyes, sitting up in shock.

She was sitting on a couch, in what looked like a study. Sandra was sitting at a desk, typing away at a laptop. Shayron was waving a scented candle over Feya and sighed in relief as she bolted upright. Jackson was seated on a low table, looking relieved as well, and shooed Sharyon away.

“There you are,” the vet said warmly. “We wondered if we would have to dump cold water on you.”

“That wasn’t my idea,” Shayron called from the other room. “It was Sandra’s, and Jackson entertained it.”

Sandra let out a soft chuckle, turning from the screen to offer Feya a smile. “I figured you’d hate to be unconscious for longer than a few minutes.”

“You thought correct,” Feya breathed out. “Thank you, I guess.”

“But you woke yourself up, or rather, the olive candle did.” Jackson pulled the conversation away from Sandra, who started to print something. “Gave us quite a fright, too.”

“You gave ME quite a fright,” Feya huffed, not caring that she sounded and probably looked like an indignant child. All three of the other people chuckled but did nothing to chide or rebuke her seemingly childish outburst.

“Its quite understandable,” Sandra stated, shuffling the printed pages together and stapling them. She joined Jackson on the table in front of Feya, picking up a pen along the way over. “We jumped an idea on you, one that, seemingly, you hadn’t considered. That was partially our fault.”

“We knew you’d have a strong reaction, just not that strong of one,” Shayron added, smiling. Her eyes showed how worried she had been, though.

Feya opted not to respond. Her head was still swimming, and her body was shaky. She carefully propped herself up against the back of the couch and let out a soft sigh. In her whole life the woman had only fainted two other times. One was before she’d moved to Jorvik, collapsing in high school due to stress and overwork. Her parents had taken her to the doctors, but nothing had been followed up on.

The other time had been in Jorvik. She’d been training Cosmos and fallen off his back, her body just missing a rock to land on some dirt. It was near Fort Pinta, and James, upon finding a riderless Cosmos, had worriedly searched until he found her not far from the race track. Neither talked about it, or how James had started to be more kind towards the older woman and her extreme workaholicness, which he’d attributed to a perfectionist streak and not necessarily monetary problems. Both of these guesses were true, but one more so then the other.

This time was just stress, however. And shock. The days of little sleep, and having just finished training a new horse, dealing with a Dark Core issue and doing the regular chores and odd jobs before coming here, it was all a stretch. Feya had done it before, stretched herself too broad, but had never collapsed since that one time months ago. She made sure she kept herself healthy, because if she didn’t, no one would make money for the stables, and her horses needed to be cared for above all else.

These issues Feya had and struggled to deal with made it impossible to believe that Sandra and Shayron really wanted to share ownership of Lacuna. Surely, they could see how better off they’d be investing with someone who could. She could not, at least not currently, and perhaps never.

Sandra was holding some pages, and the pen still. She held them out to the other woman. “Just look it over, hmm?” Apparently, her thoughts had been broadcasted on her face, and whatever worries she had were made clear for the others in the room. Jackson was fiddling with something on his phone, here but not, respectfully letting the women have a moment. “You don’t have to make a decision today. That’s why we called you out here, so we could talk about this in person. We’ll need to know by the end of the week, but you have a few days to decide, and all of us to talk with about your questions and concerns.”

It was Tuesday. By the end of the week, Feya assumed they meant Friday; Saturday at the latest. The weekends were not breaks, but filled with competitions, and weeks preparation for said shows. That gave her four, mayhap five days to decide. Nothing about that was comforting, but it was better than deciding here and now. She would have said no, and they probably knew that.

“You should probably rest.” That was Jackson, who had finished sending off a message before sitting up straight, looking Feya in the eyes. “Your body is still in shock, and no decisions need to be made now. Do you need help getting back to your cottage?”

Feya shook her head. She’d be better off keeping her mind on moving rather then, well, this.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was Thursday, and no decision had been made up in Feya’s mind yet. She’d gone over her bank statements, future plans for her stables, and what she would do if she did indeed rehabilitate and partially own Lacuna. All of these _ led back to one thing: Lacuna competing. If he only managed to walk and move around, he would most likely be used for breeding. That would be beneficial for both his current owners and Feya herself. His stud fee would bring in good cash that could help her stables, and he would probably live out his days at Feya’s stables himself, which would bring more people to want to be her clients, and hopefully for more reasons then superficial ones.

On the other hand, if he ever fully recovered and was able to compete once more, would Sandra and Shayron push for that? Feya wasn’t sure what she would want, either. Lacuna would surely want to compete, to feel the thrill of jumping for pleasure and sport. If he made a full recovery, it would be a lot of careful training and hoping for the best. Feya wasn’t sure how she would fit into that scenario anymore. She would be able to help train but wouldn’t be able to help or attend with his competitions. Again, the money would help, but it would not cover the jobs she was able to get on the island, and she needed to keep her clients and keep all her other horses in shape and working condition.

Both routes, which were just possibilities at this point, were out of her control. Neither was perfect or would be easy. The real question, overlying all the technicalities and her feelings, was what she wanted. Did she want to own Lacuna? Even if it was partially? Was this how she was destined to repay him, by being able to make some decisions and gain monetary value by his (hopefully) future?

The answer was obviously yes. Of course she wanted to be apart of his life. She looked at the papers again before finally making her choice.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The next day was Friday. Feya woke up after sleeping the whole night through, the first time in over a week. She went about a normal morning, making coffee, sitting on the porch as she drank it, making another canister as she changed clothes and gathered her things. Today she was leaving, and, hopefully taking Lacuna with her.

The walk to Sandra and Shayron’s house was quiet. It was early, and all the commotion was at the stables. She briefly wondered if they’d even be awake, given the last time they’d met had almost been midday, and before that, very early morning.

She needn’t have worried. They were both up and about, and again, the three women sat down to eat breakfast. Instead of sitting on the porch like the last time, however, they all walked down to the stables, presumably to talk with the horse in question in view.

Jackson was standing outside of Lacuna’s stall when the rounded the aisle. From a distance, he seemed worried, talking to someone on the phone. As they got closer, about two stalls away, he hung up, and turned to them.

“Morning, ladies. I was just about to call you.”

“You seem stressed. Did something happen?”

He waved at Lacuna’s stall. “See for yourself.”

Inside, there was nothing out of the ordinary. A horse was standing at the side, eating. A horse was standing. A horse was-

“He’s up,” Feya breathed, eyes alight. The others turned to look at her as she brushed past, standing eagerly at the horse’s stall door. “You’re up,” she amended, watching as the stallion ate another bite of hay, seemingly unbothered by the commotion he was causing.

“So it would seem. How is this even possible, Jackson?” Sandra and Shayron were turning their attention to their vet, letting Feya have a moment to greet the horse. Lacuna’s ears were pricked, and he whickered at the woman, easing his way over and nudging her hand.

“I’m not even sure. He shouldn’t be standing, given his xrays and how badly bent his leg was. And how heavy of a sedative we’ve given him. I figured it’d have worn off a little bit when I got here this morning, but not enough for him to be up and about.”

Lacuna snorted, drawing the attention of those standing around. He bobbed his head, seemingly pleased with himself, before lowering and firmly nose butting Feya’s forehead.

“Yah, rude!” Exclaimed the woman, as the others laughed. “Good to see you too, though.” She scratched between his ears.

“I guess this means he’ll for sure walk.” That was Shayron, tilting her head to the side.

“At this rate, he could probably compete, but that’s a long ways away,” Jackson finished. “I’ll let you ladies spend time with him. Let me know what the final decision is.” He sent a meaningful look at Feya before taking his leave.

For a few moments they said nothing. Lacuna went back to eating his food, the stallion at peace with his current situation. It was the humans who had some decisions to make.

“I signed the papers.” Feya once again broke their silence. Both owners looked over at her as she continued. “I may not be a good owner, or the right one in this situation and where I am right now with my life currently. But I know what I can do, and what I could become if luck would have me gain it. Lacuna has changed my life, and I wish to repay my thanks back to him, even if he doesn’t want it or care.”

She turned, holding out said papers in her hands. “And I would be proud to not only help rehabilitate, but also train, and work with him more hands on in the future. You were right, you don’t have the time, or the resources to put into him anymore. I know you’ve recently acquired two new dressage horses, and still have other horses you want to compete with. Let him be the pride of both of our stables. With our combined efforts, we can give him and everyone else what we all need: care, and support.”

Both women smiled at her, and it was Sandra who took the papers back, this time signed. “That’s all we wanted.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It wasn’t until Sunday that they managed to get Lacuna on a flight back to Jorvik with Feya. The three women, together, had decided on several important things. The first was that Lacuna was going to permanently stay at Feya’s stables, where he would live out the rest of his time there. It would encourage Sandra and Shayron to visit Jorvik and get them off the mainland. The second was that after he had regained his strength they would sit down again and decide if he should jump competitively, and any competitions that took place on the mainland Sandra and Shayron would take care of.

The third, which still surprised Feya, was that both the other women were giving her basically all the full power that they had once had with him. They were owners only in name now, letting her decide how he was going to be trained and used. If she decided she didn’t want to let him compete, or breed, or any other decisions, she had the final word legally now.

This was what they all wanted though. Even with her other horses, Feya made sure to put aside time for all of them, and make sure each of them was worked into a schedule, whether that was being rented out or personally trained by the woman herself. Lacuna would thrive in that environment, and maybe a more laid-back stable (which was said as nicely as one possibly could say it) would make him more relaxed and able to perform better.

With all of those ideas worked out and being made into a reality, Feya was back on a flight a week after leaving Jorvik to return, this time bringing a world-renowned champion with her. The flight was mostly her looking over documents, working out a regiment for the stallion, and reading a book Sandra had lent her. Since they’d only ever skyped occasionally, the women realized that conversations about things other then Lacuna and training had never occurred. Thus, they decided to make a group chat and talk about other things. Before she had left, however, earlier today they’d all sat and just chatted.

Sandra, besides loving horses, also loved books, and had written a few in her time. She’d given Feya several books she thought the other woman would like, and Feya had promised to mail back some from her collection. Shayron had been disappointed that Feya had never played a game before but had suggested a few to try. So now, on top of horses and training, and new books to read, she also was debating playing games. There was not enough time in the day!

It wasn’t until later, after Feya and Lacuna had safely landed, and the stallion had been settled comfortably in a stall with Elsa’s help, that the woman was able to breathe and reflect. For years she’d dreamed of owning, training and competing with a champion, but she’d always assumed it’d be one she’d trained from the ground up, the first possibility being Cosmos, the second another horse she’d had an eye on for a few months now. Instead, luck had handed her the world-renowned Space’s King, and she would not only get to further learn with him, but also be apart of his future success, whatever that may be.

With that tucked away in her mind, she settled down to sleep. Tomorrow started a new week, and it was going to be very busy indeed.

fin.


End file.
